FSU’s board of trustees met in early March to discuss the university’s presidential transition. / Robert Gill/FSView

Written by

K. Maxwell Greenwood

Managing & News Editor @KMaxGreenwood

Florida State University’s presidential search advisory committee selected a recruiting firm at their first official meeting Friday, taking the inaugural steps in selecting a permanent president to run the university when current President Eric Barron leaves the position early next month.

The committee selected R. William Funk & Associates, headquartered in Dallas to help the university attract candidates for the permanent presidential position.

Barron’s last day at the university will be April 2, when he will leave to take over the presidency at Pennsylvania State University.

The committee has not yet set a date for hiring a new chief executive, but FSU Board of Trustees Chair Allan Bense said he hopes to find a permanent president in the near future.

FSU’s trustees selected Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett Stokes as the university’s interim president earlier this month. Stokes will lead the university immediately after Barron’s departure. The trustees have said that Stokes will be allowed to apply for the permanent position if she so chooses, but Stokes said she has not yet decided if she will apply.

Funk was involved in the selection of former FSU President T.K. Wetherell in 2002. That firm was chosen over Miramar Beach, Fla.-based firm Greenwood/Asher. Funk has been involved in the hiring of presidents and chancellors at universities, including Cornell University, Ohio State University and Clemson.

The selection of an executive search firm is a major step forward for the university in its search for a new president. The FSU community was taken by surprise last month when Penn State’s board of trustees announced Barron as the university’s next president. Barron’s selection was news to even the highest administrators at Florida State.

Since Penn State’s announcement, the Florida State community has experienced some ambiguity as to what the university should expect in Barron’s absence. Barron took over the presidency at Florida State in 2010 and has since launched a number of campaigns and initiatives at the university, including a high-profile effort to move FSU into the nation’s top 25 public universities and a billion dollar capital campaign that recently passed its halfway mark.

Stokes has said that, as interim president, she will focus on maintaining and continuing the initiatives started under Barron. The university’s trustees have also said that they want to continue on with the initiatives established during Barron’s tenure in the office.

Earlier this month, rumors spread that Florida State Senator John Thrasher could be chosen as the university’s next president. But the rumors were never confirmed, and with the search committee’s selection of a recruiting firm, the search for a president seems to be wide open. Bense has said that there is currently no favorite choice for the permanent presidency.